The Roman Baths is one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe.
Once the site of one of the great religious spas of the ancient world; the people of Roman Britain came to the site to worship the goddess Sulis Minerva and bathe in the waters of the natural thermal springs, which still flow with hot water today.
Today visitors can explore the Roman Baths complex, walk on the original Roman pavements and see the ruins of the Temple of Sulis Minerva. The museum collection, located next to the bathing complex, includes a gilt bronze head of the Goddess Sulis Minerva, and other Roman artefacts.
Download the latest Roman Baths leaflet here.
Applying to work at the Roman Baths
Recruitment for Visitor Experience Hosts usually starts in December for seasonal posts for the following spring; and in March for seasonal jobs in the shop.
Work experience and volunteering
We are able to offer work experience opportunities at the Roman Baths with our Visitor Experience team. For more information and to book a placement, please email us.
Whilst we are considering how we can safely resume our volunteering programme, we are unable to offer volunteering opportunities at this time.
All permanent and fixed term/seasonal jobs are advertised on the Bath & North East Somerset Council website.
The Roman Baths is an award-winning museum with a world-class collection.
Our most recent awards can be viewed here.
2018
- 2018 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "Large Attraction of the Year", Gold Award
- 2018 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "International/Inbound Visitor Experience of the Year", Gold Award
- 2018 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "Business Tourism and Venue", Gold Award for Bath's Historic Venues
- 2018 - VisitEngland Awards for Excellence "Inclusive Tourism", Gold Award
- 2018 - VisitEngland Awards for Excellence "Inbound Tourism", Silver Award
- 2018 - TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Award "7th best rated landmark in the UK"
- 2018 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "International Visitor Experience", Gold Award
- 2018 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Access and Inclusivity", Gold Award
- 2018 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Venue and Business Tourism", Bronze Award
2019
- 2019/20 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Large Visitor Attraction of the Year", Gold Award
- 2019/20 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "International Tourism", Gold Award
- 2019/20 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Accessible and Inclusive Tourism", Gold Award
- 2019 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "Large Attraction of the Year", Gold Award
- 2019 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "International Tourism", Gold Award
- 2019 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "Accessible and Inclusive Tourism", Gold Award
- 2019 - Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards "Wedding Venue of the Year", Bronze Award for Bath's Historic Venues
- 2019 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Large Attraction of the Year", Gold Award
- 2019 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "International Visitor Experience", Gold Award
- 2019 - South West Tourism Excellence Awards "Venue and Business Tourism", Silver Award
2020
- 2020 - VisitEngland Awards for Excellence "International Tourism", Silver Award
- 2020 - VisitEngland Awards for Excellence "Large Visitor Attraction of the Year", Silver Award
The Roman Baths is designated as an 'outstanding collection' by the MLA, and has Customer Service Excellence and VAQAS status.
Designated Museum
The Roman Baths is designated as 'an outstanding collection'. This accreditation is used by the government body, MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, to recognise collections that are not held in national museums but are nevertheless of national and international significance. Bath and North East Somerset Council is the only local government body to hold three such collections. The others are the collection of the Fashion Museum and that of Bath Record Office.
Registered Museum
The Museum Registration Scheme was established in 1988 and the Roman Baths was registered in 1990. In 2004, the Scheme was renamed Accreditation to better reflect its purpose and the achievements of those museums which meet the standards it sets out.
Accreditation recognises the steps that the Roman Baths takes to meet the needs of today’s visitors, while at the same time safeguarding their collections for future generations. Under the scheme the Roman Baths is required to provide:
- opportunities to use, enjoy and learn from the collections
- an assurance that the collections, including donated items, are held in trust for society
- information about the museum, its collections and its services
- a commitment to consultation with users, to ensure that future developments and changes take account of their needs and interests
- appropriate visitor facilities or details about facilities nearby.
Customer Service Excellence
The Roman Baths and Pump Room, run by Bath & North East Somerset Council, was awarded the Customer Service Excellence (then Chartermark) Award in 2003. The Customer Service Excellence Award is only available to local government organisations and is designed to measure how well a service responds to its customers’ needs.
To get the award the Roman Baths has been consulting with its visitors and focus groups have been set up that make regular recommendations and comments.
The inspectors’ report was full of praise for the staff and site itself. It said: "The independent judging panel is satisfied that you provide an exceptionally high quality of service for your users – this is not an award that is easily won and this is a tribute to your organisation."
VAQAS
The Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme is managed by VisitEngland and encourages improvements in the visitor experience through its network of regional assessors, one of whom makes a visit to the site annually. The assessor follows the entire customer journey, including marketing and promotion, visitor information pre-arrival, the site itself, the toilet facilities, shops and café or restaurant. The Roman Baths receives a debrief and written report from the assessor and uses it as a tool to make changes to the visitor experience. The Roman Baths has worked closely with VAQAS for many years to maximise the impact of this service and to make a difference to the visitor. Its assessment score has always been high.
